The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-13
SECRETS OF THE SEA.
TRAGEDIES ON THE OCEAN OF
WHICH NOTHING IS KNOWN.

Disappearance From His Ship of the
Mate of the Marietta.
From the Alta California.
"Whats that you say! Murders ever
committed at sea that are never found outl
Well, should say there were"
The speaker was a tall, well formed,
bronzed mariner, the chief officer of an
American ship now lying at the sea wall
He has followed the sea from his infancy,
for he was born on it, and the forty-five
wears of his wave-tossed life have been full
of incident and adventure.
Eyes" he went on, 'there are many,
crimes committed at sea which never come
t0Ight, and many is the old shellback whose
hand is stained with blood. Talking of this
puts me in mind Of something that occurred
10 me-a case that furnishes an instance in
point. 1t happened about six years ago that
/ was stranded in this port without rag. |
had been ashore about six days, ample time
for an old shell to get away with his all,
and was determined to ship as soon as pos
sible. There was at that time in port as
pretty little ship as have ever seen. She
was the very craft to charm a sailors heart
Long and low of hull, with tall, raking
masts, she had the run of a clipper, and was
as clean as a man-o'-war.
II took fancy to the Sea Foam at once,
and, hearing that the Captain wanted men,
| went aboard and was shipped as bo'sun
for a voyage to Cork. | found the old man
a splendid fellow, bluff and hearty, a real
sea dog, who liked his glass of grog, and
whose nose showed his liking. The second
mate was a nice young man, but the mate
was queer card. He'd never look you in
the face, was always talking to himself, and
would fly into terrible paroXysms of rage.
Even in his sleep he could not keep quietI
and the stiffness of the night watch would
often be disturbed by his shrieks for
mercy and his cries of i did not do it; it
wasn't me-
81 at last came to the conclusion that the
man was tormented with remorse for some
past crime. AS the days of the voyage wore
on | became more and more convinced that
my belief was correct, and that the mate
was criminal, but the real truth was to be
revealed to me sooner than l expected.
at was on Trinity Sunday, 1881, and we
were in As south and 120' west, when we
were overtaken in one of the heaviest gales
it has been my lot to encounter. The glass
had been jumping about as if it had st.
Vitus' dance. The old man had foreseen the
gale which broke on us from the ouwest,
and we had everything snug when the first
blast struck us and heeled us over till the
water poured down the companiOnway.
Luckily we had brand new topsails and try
sails, or the devil himself could not have
saved us.
''We were lying up to the wind pretty
steadily when eight bells struck at midnight
and the mate got ready to go below. Poor
fellow! he never got below by himself, but
had to be carried there, fora sudden lurch
to the leeward threw him across the poop
deck and at the same moment the spanker
boom was carried away from the mast and
II I l, -s.-1-- L.
up he was senseleSs, so we carried him down
below, and brought him around with some
brandy. But he was a dying man, and he
knew it. Tell the old man to come here,
he said, and the captain was brought along
side. Captain, he said, in hoarse whis-
per, while every now and then the yelling
blood choked his utterance, I have a con-
fession to make. l was afraid to make it
before, and it has rendered my life a burden
to me. Three years ago, captain, shipped
before the mast in the Marietta, brig of
New Orleans, bound with cotton for Liver
pool. l forget the old mans
name, but the mate was named
Roberts, and he was a brute. Hardly
had the ship left harbor before he com
menced to ill-treat the men, but terrible
punishment was to overtake him. We had
been out six days, the weather was fine, and
| had the first wheel in the afternoon watch.
The stores were to be given out that after
noon, and at two bells saw man coming
aft with some kids in his hand to get the
stores In quarter of an hour he returned
carrying kid of molasses. As he came out
of the BOBBY hatch, the Captains dog,
snarling little cur, bit him on the leg and
be fell, spilling the molasses on the deck
The mate saw the accident, and, going
deliberately up to the man, kicked him in
the face, and the poor wretch rolled over
senSeleSs The inhuman mate was not pun
ished, however. He raised the PROSTATE
mans head up and laid it on the overturned
kid. Then getting astride the man, he
raised his foot and kicked the poor wretch
beneath the nose tearing the nostrils clean
off He then set the dog on the man.
1.-The mate laughed. Take him for
ward l could hear him say to the men
who were gathered around lingering their
knives i'll a threatening manner. They
lifted their wounded, senseless comrade and
took him forward as the mate went below.
He presently returned and proceeded to take
the sun He stood ahaft the main rigging
on the port side. He raised the sextant and
looked intently at the glowing sun. | saw
the men consulting together, and then one
stepped forward. He was big, brawny
collier. Picking up HEAVIER he stole be-
hind the mate, and brought the iron bar
down with crushing force upon his head,
dashing his brains out with the force of the
blow The other men rushed art. picked up
the body, and dropped it overheard with
the sextant. few buckets of water
washed away all evidence Of the crime, and
the men resumed work.
" AT four bells the old man came on deck
and looked around for the mate, but not
seeing him went below again. In the mean
time | was relieved. l went forward.
did you see anything" asked the collier.
No" l answered. Il am glad of it," was
the reply, ''for there's more beavers in the
ship Passing by the main rigging, |
looked over; blood and brains despatched
the chain plates. drew a bucket of water
and washed it Off
Il had scarcely finished when the skipper
came on deck again, very much excited.
Who's seen the mates" he asked No one
had. The ship was searched, but no mate
was found, and at last the search was given
up, the captain concluding that his chief
officer had fallen overheard, though how
was a mystery.
1--WE arrived in Liverpool all safe, the
second mate acting as first and the boat
swain as second officer. The tragic story
was never told, and have lived i'll hell
ever since
The excitement which had kept the mate
up now failed him, and he fell back on the
table with the death-rattle in his throat.
And there, amid the shrieking OF the wind
and the grooming Of the vessel, the poor fell
low died, the little oil lamp casting weird
light IN his Yala couv1lsad features